Spain’s National Intelligence Center warned the government on July 29 of calls for an assault on Ceuta’s border fence and a sea crossing the following evening, according to 40 declassified documents. The warning came one day before more than 72,000 migrants and asylum seekers began arriving from Morocco on July 30.
The documents show that Spain also alerted Morocco’s intelligence agencies about plans to climb the fence or swim around it. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rejected the claim that the warnings indicated the scale, nature or likelihood of the crisis that followed.
What the intelligence warnings said
The July 29 alert, sent by WhatsApp to Spain’s government delegation in Ceuta, referred to social media calls for an assault on the fence and a sea crossing at 8pm the next day. The CNI said two groups connected to the calls had a combined 180,000 followers.
The CNI also warned Morocco’s DGST and DGED intelligence agencies. It said the plans could take advantage of Morocco’s Throne Day on July 30, and noted that people were already waiting on the night of July 29 to swim to Ceuta. For additional context, see “Thousands rally over Ceuta migration crisis more than a month after mass crossing”.
Dispute over Morocco’s response
A CNI document issued at midday on July 30 assessed that Moroccan authorities were highly likely not actively encouraging the movement, but had acted negligently and passively. It said the deployment of a few riot-control units was not a proactive response and that the increased police and gendarme presence was insufficient to control the crowd.
Sanchez said the campaign had been known and monitored by other institutions but did not amount to an indicator of what happened afterward. Morocco had not immediately commented. Sanchez had previously said there was no evidence of Moroccan involvement, while a leaked Spanish police report alleged total permissiveness by Moroccan police during the border rush. A related part of this story is covered in “How online networks amplified narratives during the Ceuta crisis”.
People still in Ceuta
More than a month after the crossing, the Spanish government said about 5,000 migrants and asylum seekers, including 1,200 minors, remained in Ceuta. Local officials put the figure as high as 10,000.
Madrid has pledged $357m in aid, while some people remain unhoused in the city. Spain’s opposition has accused the government of failing to act despite receiving warnings; Popular Party spokeswoman Ester Munoz said the government was directly responsible for the crisis. The development of this issue can be followed in “Italy rejects Spain’s demand to end border checks”.
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